Amazon pushes social media app Parler offline after Capitol attack

App favoured by right-wing conservatives faces backlash from tech companies after violence in Washington

The social media app Parler will go offline, at least temporarily, after Amazon withdrew its cloud hosting service. AFP

Amazon will suspend Parler from its web hosting services, sending the social media network offline following a deadly riot at the US Capitol.

The move came after tech giants Apple and Google banned the Parler social network for allowing "threats of violence"

The platform has become a haven for conservatives who say they have been censored by other social media platforms.

It had soared in popularity in recent months, becoming the No 1 free app on Apple's App Store on Saturday after the much larger Twitter decided to permanently ban US President Donald Trump from its platform for his role in inciting violence at the Capitol on Wednesday.

Messages of support for the rioters along with calls for new demonstrations had flourished on the platform, leading Google to remove it from its app store on Friday, followed by Apple on Saturday.

Amazon then moved to remove it from its cloud hosting Amazon Web Services, pushing it offline entirely.

In a letter to Parler, Amazon said the network was not acting quickly enough against violent content on the platform.

"We've seen a steady increase in this violent content on your website, all of which violates our terms of service."

Given the riot at the Capitol this week, the letter said, there was a "serious risk that this type of content will further incite violence".

It will suspend the account before midnight Pacific Standard Time on Sunday (11.59am on Monday in the UAE).

As the group hosts Parler's data on its cloud service, this should prevent it from functioning, at least temporarily.

The founder of Parler, John Matze, confirmed that there was a possibility the network would be unavailable "for up to a week" as it searches for a new host.

"We will try our best to move to a new provider right now," he said.

Amazon's decision has much more far-reaching impact than the moves by Google and Apple.

They had made it more complicated to download the Parler app, but users could still access it if it was already downloaded or if they were using an internet browser.

"We have always supported diverse points of view being represented on the App Store, but there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity," Apple said on Saturday.

"Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people's safety. We have suspended Parler from the App Store until they resolve these issues."

Google pulled Parler from its app store for allowing "egregious content" that could incite deadly violence.

Angry Trump supporters swarmed the building on Wednesday as legislators met to certify Joe Biden's November 3 election win, leaving five people dead, including a policeman.

Other mainstream social media networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitch have also suspended Mr Trump following the attack.

Mr Matze said the platform had "many options" for moving ahead.

Parler started in 2018 and was initially a home for the extreme right, but now it attracts more traditional conservative voices including Republican politicians.